Railroad joint



W. COLBORN RAILROAD JO INT Filed July 1"?,

Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED STA-'rss WILLIAM COLBORN, OF FAIRMONT, WEST VIRG'rINIA.`

RAILROAD JOINT.

`Applica-ion sied July 17, 1923. semi No. ssaosi.

To all whom .zpmag/` concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM CoLBonN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fairmont, inthe county of Marion yand State of TestVirginia, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in RailroadJoints.' of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railroad joint and has for its principalobject to provide a simple and efiicient device which is adapted for usein connection with mine rails and which will provide an eiiicient jointbetween the ends of abutting rails whereby the same are held in properalignment.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a railroad jointof the above mentioned character which may be easily and quickly placedin position for the purposes above set forth and does not require theuse of additional fastening means such as bolts or the like in order tohold the same in proper position thereon.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a railroad jointof the above mentioned character which is simple in construction,inexpensive, strong and durable, and well adapted for the purposes forwhich it is designated.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparentduring the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification, and inwhich like numerals designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a top plan view showing my railroad joint in position on apair of abutting rails. y

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof,

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken on line 3--3 of Fig. l andlooking in the direction of the arrows,

Figure 4- is a perspective view of one of the clamping plates.

In the drawings wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown thepreferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral l designates theclamping member formed of suitable sheet metal material and comprises abase plate 2 which is adapted to be placed against the bottom of theabutting rails A and B respectively. The clamping member l furthermoreincludes an upstanding portion 3' which is adapted to extend over thebase flanges C and D respectively then bent upwardly to fit against theweb p0rtion of thefrails as more clearly shown in Fig. 3 of thedrawings.

This clamping member l is adapted to have its base plate 2 terminate ata point adjacent the opposite longitudinal edge of the base flanges ofthe abutting rails for the purpose to be' hereinafter more fullyydescribed. The clamping member 1 has its extension 8 furthermoreprovided with a series of spaced slots 4 ltherein adjacent the baseplate 2 as more clearly shown in Fig. lf of the drawings, and adapted tobe received in these spaced slots i are the transversely extendingstrips 5.

Each of these transverse strips 5 is formed of a material similar to theInaterial used in the construction of the clamping member l and has oneend thereof bent around to engage the base fiange of the rails as shownat 6 in the drawings and the opposite end of each strip is adapted toextend around the rail bottoms and also the bottom of the base plate 2of the clamping member 1, and the free end of each strip is passedthrough a respective slot provided in the extension 3 so as to cause thefree end of each strip to be disposed between the bottom of the railsand the top face of the base plate 2 in the nia-mier more clearlyillustrated 1n the Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Any number of these transverse strips 5 may be associated with theclamping mombers 1 in accordance with the provisions of the slots 4fformed in the clamping plate.

It is to belunderstood in assembling the device, the inner ends of thestrips 5 are first placed through the slots 4f so as to lie between therail bottoms and the upper face of the base plate 2, and the oppositeends are bent around the bottom of the base plate 2 and thence bentupwardly to engage the base flanges of the rails. The hook ends 6 of thestrip 5 are then swaged down on the rail base after being placed underthe rails.

In this manner the transverse strips 5 are securely held in positionupon the base plate 2 and also their base flange engaging portions 6will securely hold the abutting rails in proper alignment and willprevent the ends of the rails from moving sidewise. Furthermore thesimplicity of my rail kjoint enables the same to be easily and quicklyplaced in position upon the ends of a pair of abutting rails and doesnot require the use of bolts or spikes which are now commonly used insecuring a rail joint in position on the railroad tie.

l From the foregoing description of the construction ot' my improvedapparatus, it will be seen that I have provided a simple, inexpensiveand eflicient means for carrying out the objects of the invention, andWhile I have particularly described the elements best adapted to performthe functions set forth, it is obvious that various changes in form,proportion, and in the minor details of construction may be resorted to,Without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the principlesof the invention.

I claim:

A rail joint of the class described comprising a clamping memberincluding a base plate having one longitudinal side provided With anextension adapted to extend over one side of the base flanges of a pairot abutting rails and fitting against the Web portions thereof, a seriesof transverse strips each having one endin engagement with the oppositeside of the base flanges of said abutting rails, the other end of eachstrip ext-ending through a slot provided in said clamping memberadjacent the base plate thereof and disposed between said base plate andthe bottom of said rails.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM COLB ORN.

